D4 State Semifinal Preview: No. 2 McDonell vs. No. 3 Cuba City

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Tomorrow, the state tournament tips off at the Resch Center for the state tournament. That day ends with some D4 action, which should be among the most competitive in Green Bay this year, so let's talk about what we should expect.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">McDonell Central</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The reigning champions of D5 are back in Green Bay but will play in D4 and not defend their D5 title due to their enrollment.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They have a talented backcourt with the Cooper sisters, [player_tooltip player_id='751257' first='EllaMay' last='Cooper'] and [player_tooltip player_id='209585' first='Emily' last='Cooper'], who each have strengths that complement each other. EllaMay is a better attacker off the dribble than Emily, and Emily is a more well-rounded scorer than EllaMay.&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Playing kids who can handle the ball well played well for them in D5 last year, but the step up from the teams they played last season to the three who made it to state this season is a step up. There isn't a team here that can route like they did to Albany last year in D5. That won't happen. The biggest question will be, if they beat Cuba City if they can handle the athleticism that both Laconia and Prairie have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The one kid who can take this group to the next level is their forward, Aubrey Dorn. Her size, physicality, and skill were crucial in the Macks winning a state title a year ago, and she'll get tested in the Macks Semifinal game against Cuba City's [player_tooltip player_id='534426' first='Dea' last='Crist'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Cuba City</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I've felt the Cubans weren't talked about as a title contender all season, but they have their chance to show us how good they are in the next few days.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The past few seasons, they've been knocking on the door of the state tournament, narrowly losing to Aquinas in the past two seasons. Whether it was turnovers or other errors, they hadn't broken through until this season, and they've been good all year. They've been viewed in my raw RPI as one of the top teams in D4 and have one of the better resumes this season because of their non-conference schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cubans have an uber-talented lead guard, [player_tooltip player_id='374234' first='Olivia' last='Olson']. Olson has been one of the top guards in the 2025 class in the state and has played like one this season. She's not as flashy or athletic as others in her class, but everywhere she's played, they seem to overachieve. She may surprise people this weekend.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The other kid who's dangerous for Cuba City is [player_tooltip player_id='534426' first='Dea' last='Crist']. She's a talented 6-1 post player who can score inside and out, granted she's mainly an interior presence at Cuba City. Regardless, she's a kid that anyone will have a tough time defending because of her size and skill. Her matchup with Aubrey Dorn may be what decides this semifinal.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I haven't seen it talked about with Cuba City much, but the game they played with Arrowhead at Waunakee signaled that this team was for real and could hang with anyone in D4. If they could hang with one of the top D1 schools with some of the best talent in the state, it'll be challenging to look past this group.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Predicted Winner: Cuba City</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->